Testing Self-Control Theory Among Incarcerated Drug Offenders in China

Since its introduction by Gottfredson and Hirschi, self-control theory has been widely applied in criminology for its claimed explanatory breadth and presumed invariance across cultures and populations. Yet empirical assessments of its applicability to high-risk groups in non-Western settings remain scarce. This study draws on survey data from two compulsory drug rehabilitation centers in southwest China to evaluate the psychometric structure of Grasmick et al.’s self-control scale and to examine the relationship between self-control and self-reported criminal behavior among incarcerated drug users. Our findings support the scale’s factor structure and affirm that lower self-control is significantly associated with higher levels of offending. Among the six subdimensions, temper and self-centeredness emerged as the most salient predictors of criminal behavior in this incarcerated drug user sample. These findings suggest that the dimensions of self-control most relevant to deviance in the Chinese context may differ from those typically emphasized in Western studies. While some gender variation was observed, the overall effect of self-control on criminal behavior was consistent across male and female respondents. These results lend support to the cross-cultural applicability of self-control theory and underscore the importance of culturally informed rehabilitation strategies in China.